First, he took out the fresh, tender bamboo shoots he had harvested that morning, cut them in half, and sliced them finely into strips. Then, he took a small piece of wild boar meat and similarly sliced it into fine strips.
He poured an appropriate amount of oil into the wok.
When the oil heated up to the point of wisping blue smoke, he tossed in some garlic cloves and dried chili peppers.
Sizzle!
The moment the garlic and chili peppers hit the boiling oil, their rich aroma was instantly unleashed.
"Mhm! That's the smell!"
Fengluo stirred them a few times with a wooden spatula. Making sure they were thoroughly cooked and right on the verge of turning golden, he tossed in the shredded pork, which had been evenly coated with a mixture of starch and a small amount of water.
Crackle!
As the shredded pork met the boiling oil, the sound of sizzling oil instantly erupted.
Fengluo gave it another stir with the wooden spatula, and the finely sliced meat blossomed inside the wok just like a blooming chrysanthemum.
Every single strand of meat was perfectly fried in the oil, allowing them to absorb the fragrance of the garlic and dried chili peppers during the frying process.
With this step completed, the aroma began to diffuse.
It was the scent from distant memories,
the fragrance that would drift through the house
whenever it was time for a meal.
Fengluo thoroughly enjoyed this moment; his entire focus was locked onto the wok.
When the shredded meat gradually turned golden brown, Fengluo quickly poured in the sliced bamboo shoots!
As the tender bamboo shoots collided with the golden pork and gradually blended together, the shredded pork with bamboo shoots—infused with the crisp freshness of the bamboo shoots and the rich aroma of the oil—was now complete!
All that remained was to finish cooking it and serve it up!
"Mhm! Not bad at all!"
Fengluo praised himself, picking up a small bamboo tube from the side and pouring a little water along the edge of the wok.
This prevented the dish from burning while adding a touch of moisture.
In traditional culinary terms, this was known as *wok hei*—the breath of the wok.
It was a rather mystical concept.
Fengluo couldn't quite explain why it worked.
He had learned the technique from reading a certain novel,
and after experimenting with it many times himself,
it had finally evolved into the method that best suited his palate.
"Time to plate!"
The dish was cooked to absolute perfection!
Without hesitation, Fengluo removed the food from the wok and placed it onto a wooden tray he had prepared beforehand.
He truly loved these natural flavors,
especially since the ingredients he used today were as fresh as fresh could be,
and the water was pure mountain spring water.
As his very first dish upon arriving in Qingce Village,
Fengluo was exceptionally satisfied with it.
"Phew—let's taste how it turned out!"
Fengluo set the wok aside and was just about to sample his own culinary creation when—
"Whoa! Such a wonderful aroma!"
Accompanied by a cry of surprise, a pair of chopsticks shot in ahead of him, picking up a mouthful of the shredded pork with bamboo shoots and popping it straight into a dainty little mouth.
"Mhm! This is seriously delicious!"
A young girl with two cute little looped braids, large and expressive eyes, traditional Liyue attire, and a cute doll hanging from her waist gave Fengluo a thumbs-up.
"I'm willing to give this dish a 7 out of 10!"
"Huh?"
Instead of rebuking the girl for her impoliteness, Fengluo stared in disbelief with wide eyes.
Standing right in front of him was none other than the renowned master chef of Wanmin Restaurant from Liyue Harbor—Xiangling!
"Xiangling?!"
"Eh? Do you know me?"
Xiangling blinked her pretty eyes in astonishment while continuing to savor the shredded pork with bamboo shoots.
"Of course! You're the famous chef of Liyue Harbor, how could I not know you?"
Fengluo was also deeply surprised
to run into Xiangling, the master chef of Wanmin Restaurant, all the way out here.
The reason he knew Xiangling was quite simple:
Once, Mr. Zhongli had invited some people for a meal but forgot to bring his Mora, leaving Wanmin Restaurant to charge the bill to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Fengluo was the one who happened to have free time and was sent to handle the matter.
He had originally expected it to cost a fortune,
but to his surprise, the prices were very down-to-earth, so he ended up staying for a meal himself.
The head chef of Wanmin Restaurant back then was none other than Xiangling.
That look of utter dedication while stir-frying, combined with the mouth-watering aroma of the food,
had left an indelible impression on Fengluo.
And of course, the most important thing was the flavor.
The food at Wanmin Restaurant was spicy!
Even the mildest spice level made Fengluo feel like his mouth was on fire.
Yet it was truly delicious!
The lingering heat left you feeling thoroughly satisfied!
Unlike the two traditional culinary schools of Li cuisine and Yue cuisine,
Wanmin Restaurant specialized in affordable prices and using the most humble ingredients to create the most delectable food.
Even the simplest ingredients could be transformed into something extraordinary by their hands,
all at very reasonable prices.
That was how they managed to carve out a path for themselves despite the heavy pressure from the two dominant culinary traditions.
Having lived in Liyue Harbor for so long, Fengluo had eaten countless meals at Wanmin Restaurant.
The main reason, of course, was because he was broke...
and... wanting to save up to buy a house meant he couldn't afford to be too demanding about his quality of life.
Therefore, Fengluo knew quite a bit about Xiangling, the chef of Wanmin Restaurant.
It was just that because of his timid personality and his single-minded focus on saving money and getting his work done,
he had never found the time to befriend her.
He never expected to run into her here of all places!
"Um, sorry! I don't remember you, but the dish you made is pretty good."
Xiangling chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head.
Beside her, a cute, raccoon-like doll was eagerly hopping up and down.
"Ah, Guoba, do you want a bite too?"
As she spoke, Xiangling picked up a chopstick full of food and fed it to Guoba.
"What kind of magical creature is this? A small bear?"
Only then did Fengluo notice the cute, bear-like doll creature accompanying Xiangling.
If it were back when he first arrived here, he might have been shocked,
but by now,
having witnessed all sorts of bizarre things in this place—even zombies—
Fengluo was no longer inclined to make a fuss over things like he used to.
"His name is Guoba."
Xiangling's eyes curved into lovely crescent moons.
"I met him in a certain temple. It was pouring rain outside at the time, so I fell asleep inside the temple. When I woke up, I saw him eating my spicy meat buns—and those were the very first ones I ever made! Nom nom nom—this shredded pork with bamboo shoots is so good!"
While recounting how she met Guoba, Xiangling never stopped eating Fengluo's stir-fried bamboo shoots and pork.
She certainly didn't stand on ceremony...
Fengluo muttered inwardly.
However, seeing his cooking welcomed by Liyue's little culinary prodigy genuinely gladdened his heart.
"And after that, he just kept following me around!"
Xiangling giggled, reaching out to pat Guoba on the head.
Meanwhile, Guoba lowered his head and focused entirely on eating the bamboo shoots and pork Xiangling had given him. But after a few bites, he stopped,
raised his head, and looked straight at Xiangling.
"What's wrong? Is it not to your taste?"
Seeing Guoba's reaction, Fengluo couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.